The Making of a Legend Part II "It's Miller Time".. CFB25

[Deuce2223]

PANTHERS MAKE IT 23

GAME RECAP


For the first time all season, FIU trailed at the end of the 1st Quarter (7-3) as 4 straight road games started to show it's effect on the high power offensive attack.

The Panthers would manage to take the lead in the 2nd Quarter though as Kevin Pounds caps a scoring drive with a 16 yd TD run to give FIU the (10-7) lead and then with 22 seconds to play in the half FIU extends their lead with a 38 yd FG to make it (13-7) going into the locker room.

Neither team scored in the 3rd Quarter as FIU turns the ball over on downs failing to convert on a 4th and 1 run.

Rutgers would cut the lead to (13-10) early in the 4th with a 42 yd FG, and then the Scarlet Knights D would hold FIU to another Costanzo FG to make it (16-10) with just over 5 minutes to play, but facing a 4th and 6 with 3:10 to play in the game Rutgers comes up short turning the ball over on downs.

Not taking any chances FIU would work off the clock down to 1:48 moving the ball just inside the 10 yd line for a first and goal.. After a run for no gain, Pounds would take a sack losing 9 yds to set up 3rd and goal from the 19.. Moving to a 5 WR set, Pounds fires and hits Devin Kennedy in stride on a slant over the middle and Kennedy does the rest taking it in for the score..

FIU would leave the offense on the field to convert the 2pt play as they seal the victory taking a 2 score lead with just over a minute to play.

FINAL SCORE FIU-24 RUTGERS-10

KEY PANTHERS

QB K. Pounds-17/22 (77%) 218 yds 1 TD, 67 yds 1 TD
RB M. Ware-18 carries 67 yds, 1 rec 14 yds
RB A. Rasmussen-3 carries 18 yds 2 rec 25 yds
WR E. Boenzi-6 rec 81 yds
WR D. Kennedy-5 rec 52 yds 1 TD
WR I. Kamula-2 rec 35 yds


UP NEXT

FIU will return home for just their 2nd home game of the season and it's a big one as they will host #4 ECU.. The Pirates are off to a (5-0) start including a 3-0 record in ACC play.. ECU also owns a non-conference win over #3 Oklahoma (Week 1) showing they are more then capable of giving the Panthers a run for their money..

MIAMI STRIKES AGAIN

Despite not having their best season on the field (currently 3-3), the Hurricanes continue to find success off the field in recruiting as they sign away 2 of FIU top targets including 5* QB Doug McSurdy (#1 OVR/#1FL/#1) QB and 4* DE Damien Reynauld (#100 OVR/#12FL/#4 DE)..


Well missing out on McSurdy seems like a major blow as many thought he could be the heir to the QB throne when Kevin Pounds journeys to the NFL, Coach Valdez did manage to land his backup plan signing 4* QB George Cloud (#147 OVR/#14FL/#15Q B) and got some more great news as 5* SS Moses Starks (#30 OVR/#3 TX#1 SS) signs as well..

[Deuce2223]

WEEK 6 AROUND THE NATION RECAP

TOP-10 NEWS


Well #1 Ohio State and #2 FIU both won their Week 6 matchups, #3 Washington did not as they drop a Big Ten matchup with #17 Wisconsin (31-28).. With the loss the Huskies drop to #10 in the rankings, well the Badgers jump 3 spots to #14..

#4 Oklahoma moves to #3, as former Ohio State Buckeye OC Nate Phoenix continues to have success in Year 1 in Norman as the Sooners beat Florida State (28-20).. Oklahoma will host Miss State in Week 7.

#5 ECU is now #4 as they move up 1 spot just in time for their Top-5 matchup with the Panthers..

#6 LSU moves to #5 with a (24-20) win over #20 Arkansas.. With the loss the Hogs drop to #22.

Notre Dame's stay at #6 should be short lived as they will either move up with a win over #1 Ohio State or down with a loss.

#8 Georgia is now #7 after a (34-13) win over South Carolina. The Bulldogs will host Auburn in Week 7.

#9 Viriginia Tech moves up to #8 with a (39-28) win over UNC. They will play @ Liberty in Week 7

#10 Kansas State moves to #9 with a (42-10) win over Utah.. They will play @ Baylor in Week 7

TOP-25 LOSS'S

Utah's loss to K-State drops them out of the rankings, #22 BYU and #23 Tulane join them.

#15 Kentucky fell to #23 this week as they lost (27-14) to Western Kentucky

#14 Oregon is watching their chances at a Big Ten title opportunity slip away as they drop their 3rd Big loss going to (3-3) after falling (28-24) to Nebraska as they drop to #24.

WELCOME TO THE TOP-25

With Utah,BYU and Tulane out.. We welcome som new faces.

(4-1) Texas Tech debuts at #20 after a 37-15 win over Kansas

(3-2) Pitt rejoins after starting the year in as they are now #21 with a (31-14) win over Illinois

(3-2) Buffalo also rejoins at #25

[redsox907]

Closer game than I would have thought FIU vs Rutgers would be. Nice to see the recruits finally coming through with the pair of 5* for OSU!

[Deuce2223]

Quote: Originally Posted by redsox907

Closer game than I would have thought FIU vs Rutgers would be. Nice to see the recruits finally coming through with the pair of 5* for OSU!

Yeah.. They are decent.. Came into the game (3-1) I just got done playing the ECU game it was a let down honestly. I thought maybe with them being undefeated and ranked #4 we would have a back and forth game but it wasn't.

Even though the class will be small, I can see the Bucks landing another couple 5* and probably end up with a class like 5-5*,10-4* and be a Top-10 but Miami is off to a pretty strong lead at landing #1.

Losing McSurdy to the Canes was like a Double Whammy but there is a chance Pounds doesn't leave early which either gives me a chance to still land a 5* guy next year or also gives these 4* another year to develop. If I had to guess, I would say FIU still lands some solid players though and ends up with a Top-25 class probably with another 5* or 2 and like 10-12 4*..

[Deuce2223]

PANTHER MAKE IT 24!!!

East Carolina Pirates at Florida International Golden Panthers
Oct 14, 2034	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
#4 East Carolina Pirates (5-0)	7	0	7	14	28
#2 Florida International Golden Panthers (5-0)	0	28	14	14	56

Team Stats Comparison
	ECU	FIU
Total Offense	369	535
Rushing Yards	1	233
Passing Yards	333	312
First Downs	9	27
Punt Return Yards	9	12
Kick Return Yards	105	52
Total Yards	483	599
Turnovers	3	5
3rd Down Conversion	5/14	7/11
4th Down Conversion	0/1	0/1
2-Point Conversion
Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals
Penalties	2-15	1-5
Possession Time	19:50	20:10

Scoring Summary
FIRST QUARTER SCORING		ECU	FIU
1:59	(ECU) J. Eason 70 yd pass from T. Tobin (PAT)	7	0
SECOND QUARTER SCORING		ECU	FIU
9:29	(FIU) T. Trinidad 1 yd run (PAT)	7	7
7:27	(FIU) W. Abiamiri 65 yd pass from K. Pounds (PAT)	7	14
1:10	(FIU) W. Abiamiri 25 yd pass from K. Pounds (PAT)	7	21
0:07	(FIU) D. Kennedy 64 yd pass from K. Pounds (PAT)	7	28
THIRD QUARTER SCORING		ECU	FIU
8:20	(FIU) K. Pounds 1 yd run (PAT)	7	35
7:19	(FIU) G. Sykes 38 yd INT Return (PAT)	7	42
4:51	(ECU) A. Stromberg 25 yd pass from T. Tobin (PAT)	14	42
FOURTH QUARTER SCORING		ECU	FIU
6:42	(FIU) T. Trinidad 2 yd run (PAT)	14	49
3:50	(FIU) D. Kennedy 25 yd pass from K. Pounds (PAT)	14	56
2:25	(ECU) A. Stromberg 37 pass from T. Tobin (PAT)	21	56
1:18	(ECU) A. Stromberg 36 yd pass from T. Tobin (PAT)	28	56

East Carolina Pirates PASSING C/A YDS TD INT T. Tobin 18/31 333 4 3 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD R. Rafano 15 43 2.8 T. Tobin 7 -9 -1.2 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD J. Allan 5 52 10.4 R. Rafano 4 31 7.7 J. Eason 3 102 34.0 1 A. Stromberg 3 99 33.0 3 C. Thomas 2 22 11.0 J. Jewell 1 27 27.0 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD D. Ames 12 D. Hardrick 10 A. Hocker 8 4 G. Avant 3 1

Florida International Golden Panthers PASSING C/A YDS TD INT K. Pounds 14/33 312 4 5 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD M. Ware 17 130 7.6 A. Rasmussen 8 73 9.1 T. Trinidad 6 27 4.5 2 K. Pounds 3 -7 -2.3 1 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD E. Boenzi 6 81 13.5 I. Kamula 3 34 11.3 D. Kennedy 2 89 44.5 2 W. Abiamiri 2 90 45.0 2 E. Longo 1 18 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD K. St Pierre 7 3.5 G. Sykes 5 3 C. Provo 9 2.5 S. Ezeike 6 1

GAME RECAP

ECU and FIU have had some pretty epic battles over the past decade and despite the fact this game featured 2 undefeated teams both ranked in the Top-5 and a game that featured 8 INT's thrown in the game today's game was not one of those epic battles..

2 early INT's by QB Kevin Pounds led to ECU taking a early (7-0) lead in the 1st Quarter, but FIU would battle back as the Panthers score 4 times in the 2nd Quarter including 3 touchdown pass's by Pounds to take a (28-7) lead into the half.

FIU opened up the 2nd half with the ball and Pounds would cap a 9 play drive with a 1 yd TD run to make it (35-7) just 2 minutes into the 2nd half. Then it was Gerald Sykes coming up with his 2nd INT of the game making it (42-7) as he turns the INT into a "Pick 6" 38 yd return.

Despite the fact they punted the ball 7 times, turned the ball over on downs once and threw 3 INT's of their own, I would say ECU kept battling to the very end as RS FR Trey Tobin (74) tried his best despite the 3 INT and 8 sacks on the day. Tobin would manage to find JR WR Angel Strombert (73) 3 times including twice in the final 2:38 of the game to make this one closer then it really was.

For Kevin Pounds it was a Derek Hawk like Roller Coaster day.. 2 INT's in the 1st Quarter followed by 3 TD's in the 2nd Quarter followed by 3 more INT's in the 2nd half including 2 in the final 5 minutes of the game when FIU was facing 3rd and long..

UP NEXT

FIU will now have a "Bye" in Week 8 followed by another pair of road games @ (1-5) Wake Forest) and @ (5-1) Duke

** I don't have any Top-25 update or recruiting news because I still have to play the Ohio State game vs Notre dame**

[Deuce2223]

4TH QUARTER COMEBACK!!!

Ohio State Buckeyes at Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Oct 14, 2034	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
#1 Ohio State Buckeyes (6-0)	0	10	3	22	35
#6 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (5-0)	7	0	7	0	14

Team Stats Comparison
	OSU	ND
Total Offense	469	284
Rushing Yards	304	91
Passing Yards	165	183
First Downs	23	13
Punt Return Yards	32	8
Kick Return Yards	46	116
Total Yards	547	408
Turnovers	3	1
3rd Down Conversion	4/11	5/14
4th Down Conversion	1/1	0/2
2-Point Conversion	1/1
Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals
Penalties	1-5	2-10
Possession Time	20:44	19:16

Scoring Summary
FIRST QUARTER SCORING		OSU	ND
1:59	(OSU) J. Eason 70 yd pass from T. Tobin (PAT)	7	0
SECOND QUARTER SCORING		OSU	ND
9:29	(ND) T. Trinidad 1 yd run (PAT)	7	7
7:27	(ND) W. Abiamiri 65 yd pass from K. Pounds (PAT)	7	14
1:10	(ND) W. Abiamiri 25 yd pass from K. Pounds (PAT)	7	21
0:07	(ND) D. Kennedy 64 yd pass from K. Pounds (PAT)	7	28
THIRD QUARTER SCORING		OSU	ND
8:20	(ND) K. Pounds 1 yd run (PAT)	7	35
7:19	(ND) G. Sykes 38 yd INT Return (PAT)	7	42
4:51	(OSU) A. Stromberg 25 yd pass from T. Tobin (PAT)	14	42
FOURTH QUARTER SCORING		OSU	ND
6:42	(ND) T. Trinidad 2 yd run (PAT)	14	49
3:50	(ND) D. Kennedy 25 yd pass from K. Pounds (PAT)	14	56
2:25	(OSU) A. Stromberg 37 pass from T. Tobin (PAT)	21	56
1:18	(OSU) A. Stromberg 36 yd pass from T. Tobin (PAT)	28	56

Ohio State Buckeyes PASSING C/A YDS TD INT C. Trahan 1/1 8 B. Louis 13/28 175 1 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD B. Louis 9 48 5.3 G. Shaw 11 31 2.8 A. Dingle 5 21 4.2 1 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD N. Killings 5 90 18.0 K. Tamm 2 42 21.0 B. Basham 1 17 17.0 A. Dingle 2 16 8.0 T. Boger 2 10 5.0 M. Kenyon 1 7 7.0 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD C. Dogg 12 L. Redfield 9 B. Rooks 7 1 J. Lampkin 5 1 1 J. Arora 4 1

Notre Dame Fighting Irish PASSING C/A YDS TD INT N. De La Rosa 10/27 165 0 3 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD D. Jones 19 139 7.3 2 F. Tam 6 103 17.2 1 C. McCracken 5 38 7.6 N. De La Rosa 5 17 3.4 1 K. Tabor 1 7 7.0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD N. Tull 2 59 29.5 J. Gayton 4 54 13.5 G. Cobb 3 45 15.3 C. Bourgeois 1 6 6.0 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD M. Vakapuna 4 2 J. Perez 3 1 V. Ibrahim 7 J. Giguere 6 1 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG L. Dugans 2/2 3/3 51

GAME RECAP

Ohio State came into the game averaging almost 58 PPG, but the for Freshman QB Nick De La Rosa this would be his first big test against a Top-25 opponent in a hostile stadium (Squiggley lines suck) and it showed as the De La Rosa throws 2 INT's in the 1st half, but despite the turnovers Ohio State managed to claw their way back in the 2 quarter tying the game on a Dave Jones TD (7-7) with under 3 minutes to play.. Then it was the Ohio State Defense coming up with a huge play as MLB Jose Giguere picks off Notre Dame QB Bruce Louis (88) to set up a 51 yd FG attempt by Freshman Lamar Dugans who connects from deep to give the Buckeyes the (10-7) lead at the half.

Ohio State opened up the 2nd half with the ball but De La Rosa would throw INT #3 as JR SS John Lampkin (85) takes it 31 yds to the house for the "Pick 6" giving Notre Dame the (14-10) lead.

Then it was the Irish Defense coming up big again as they force Dugans into another long FG attempt (48 yds) as Ohio State makes it (14-13).

Still trailing by 1 as we enter the 4th, it continued to go back and forth as both teams punt twice, but with 3:12 to play, De La Rosa would cap off a 11 play drive with a 4 yd TD run to make it (19-14).. Looking to make it a 7 point lead, OSU would leave the Offense on the field and the FR QB would deliver as he scrambles to his right diving in for the conversion to make it (21-14)..


Then it was the Ohio State Defense coming up huge as the force a turnover on downs.. Leading by a touchdown, Coach Miller took zero risks as the Buckeyes run the ball 9 times including a 14 yd TD by Jones to extend their lead to (28-14) with under 2 minutes to play.

Notre Dame would drive 60 yds in under a minute as they looked to try and get a quick score and maybe try for a onside kick, but the Buckeye D all of a sudden finds their footing as the again force a turnover on downs.. Looking to just run out the clock, Miller again calls 3 straight run plays, but Fredrick Tam had other plans as the SO RB takes the pitch, turns the corner and runs over 2 defenders on his way to a 81 yd touchdown...

UP NEXT

With the win Ohio State stays perfect moving to 7-0 on the season and 5-0 in Big Ten play well handing the Irish their first loss.. With the loss Notre Dame drops from #6 in the rankings to #13..

Ohio State will have a Week 8 "Bye" before returning to action in Week 9 @ Illinois as they Battle for the Illibuck.

Notre Dame will travel to USC in Week 8 for their rivalry matchup with the Trojans.

[Deuce2223]

WEEK 7 AROUND THE NATION RECAP

TOP-25 NEWS

With ECU's loss to FIU they drop to #11 well Notre Dame dropped to #13 as #1 Ohio State and #2 FIU hold onto their spots.

#3 Oklahoma defeats Miss State (17-10) to retain #3. The Sooners will face a bigger challenge in Week 8 as they travel to #16 Alabama.

The rest of the Top-10 all won this week as LSU moves to #4 with their win over FSU and Georgia moves to #5 with their win over Auburn.

College Game Day is head to Baton Rouge for the Week 8 matchup between the Bulldogs and Tigers.

Virginia Tech moves up 2 spots to #6 with a (41-14) win over Liberty.. The Hokies will take on Syracuse in Week 8.

Washington jumps 3 spots from #10 to #7 witha (41-24) win over Stanford. The Huskies will play @ Illinois in Week 8.

Kansas State goes from #9 to 38 with a (31-16) win over Baylor they will join the Buckeyes and Panthers with a Week 8 "Bye"

Wisconsin moves up 5 spots from #14 to #9 as the Badgers hand Illinois their 6th straight loss. Wisconsin will host Pitt in Week 8.

#11 Ole Miss falls to Texas (38-33) and with the loss drops to #24 in the rankings

#13 Penn State rejoins the Top-10 at #10 with a (17-13) win over Michigan. The Nittany Lions will face Michigan State on the road in Week 8.

Tennessee stas at #12 as they beat Missouri (40-28). They also will have a "Bye" in Week 8.

THE REST OF THE TOP-25

#14 (6-1) TCU
#15 (6-0) SMU
#16 (5-2) Alabama
#17 (5-1) Texas Tech
#18 (4-2) Purdue
#19 (5-2) Arkansas
#20 (4-3) Oregon
#21 (5-2) Tulsa
#22 (3-3) Nebraska
#23 (4-2) NC State
#24 (4-2) Ole Miss
#25 (4-3) Miami

HEISMAN TALK

FIU WR Devin Kennedy continues to hold onto the Top spot in the Heisman talks, well Ohio State's RB duo of Dave Jones and Frederick Tam are now #2 and #3, with FIU QB Kevin Pounds dropping to #4.

UCF WR Sam Hall is a new addition to the talks as he claims the #5 spot.

[Deuce2223]

FIU TEAM REPORT

KEVIN POUNDS

With 4 games left to play, rumors are RS JR Kevin Pounds is considering returning to FIU for his Senior season.

Reports are Pounds wants to add his name to several National Record Books besides just becoming FIU's Top QB.. Pounds top 2 targets All-time Passing Yards Leader Case Kennum (19,217 yds) and ACC Leader Legend Coffee (17,338) With at least 4 games left in this season plus potentially the ACC Championship and 3 potential Playoff games should the Panthers 3-peat their way to the Natty, Pounds could easily finish close to Coffee's record his season. (Currently has 2353 yds 27 TD 13 INT this year) and (13,306 yds 132 TD 50 INT) in his career.

MARVIN WARE

Marvin Ware is doing his best to try and give the Panthers a 9th straight season with a 1000 yd rusher and try and extend the streak of a Panther winning the Doak Walker Award for 8 straight seasons, as he currently has 134 carries for 796 yds with 4 TD's.. However he will need to increase those touchdown #'s as Tim Trinidad (6) and Pounds (5) currently are stealing some of his thunder..

BOENZI STRUGGLES

SR WR Emari Boenzi currently leads the team with 34 receptions (535 yds) despite a team leading 6 drops, but Boenzi's catches are not coming inside the endzone (just 3 TD's) after leading the team the past 2 seasons with (21 and 20)..

Instead it's been Devin Kennedy (33 rec 724 yds 11 TD) and I. Kamula (27 rec 512 yds 7 TD) are are getting most of the scores.

ABIAMIRI ADJUSTING TO NEW ROLE

Boenzi isn't the only Senior WR taking a backseat to the emergence of Kennedy and Kamula.

Senior Walter Abiamiri posted 33 rec for 814 yds and 7 TD as a RS Freshman. He then followed it up with 43 rec for 776 yds and 6 TD's the following season. Then as a Junior last season Abiamiri had a breakout year with 64 rec for 1095 yds and 8 TD, but this year as the team's #4.. Abiamiri has just 11 rec for 190 yds (17.3 avg) with 3 TD.

FIU DEFENSE

Well FIU's Offense (4014 yds) 44.8 PPG get's most of the attention, the FIU Defense has been top notch this season as they lead the nation in giving up the least amount of points (89) a 10.1 Avg, well leading the nation in Rushing Defense (351 yds) 48 yds per game Avg and well also boasting the nation's Best Pass Defense (1689 yds) 211 yds Avg.

Part of that success because FIU also leads the nation in sacks (33, Ball State is #2 with 29).

RS FR Stephen Ezeike has 9.5 sacks, RS JR Kerry St Pierre has 7.5 sacks, and RS SO OLB Tremaine Swope has 6.0 sacks as the teams Top-3 pass rushers.

RECRUITING NEWS

Coach Valdez and his staff were hard at work the past several weeks off the field as well and the hard work paid off as FIU adds 4 more players to their 2034 class including a Trio of 5* Recruits giving them a 6 man class with 5 players ranked in the Top-60.

5* CB Ryland Loftus (#7 OVR/#1LA/#1 CB) is listed at 6'2 183lbs from New Orleans LA..

5* RT Richard Lozano (#13 OVR/#1AZ/#1 RT) is listed at 6'7 303lbs from Chandler AZ

5* RT Morris Poole (#14 OVR/#1UT/#2 RT) is listed at 6'4 288lbs from Provo UT

4* WR Donald Owen (#58 OVR/#5 FL/#6 WR) is listed at 6'3 207lbs from Tampa FL

With these signings FIU jumps up to #19 Overall in the National rankings and is currently #5 in the ACC

Well landing these 4 was a huge get for Coach Valdez, FIU did strike out on 5 of their Top targets

5* CB Carl Walsh-Tennessee
5* OLB Carlos Coale-Oregon
4* RB Jeremy Pullard-NC State
4* RT Timmy Durate-Florida State
4* RT Kenyone Tubbs-Notre Dame

FIU now has 15 players left on their Top-25 Big Board, led by their last 5* Prospect WR Fredrick Riggins (#5 Overall/#1 MS/#1 WR) who currently has FIU listed 1 after visiting this past week, but Ole Miss is pushing hard at #2 and has a Week 12 visit scheduled. (Proximity to home is one of his Green checks and I am a C+ vs Ole Miss who would be a A+)

Well landing Riggins would be huge, the guy I really want to get is 4* RB Ray Lipscomb.. I think Lipscomb could be the next Tavon Logan.. Listed at 6'3 225lbs he has 95 Speed 90 ACC, 86 Carry, 86 Trucking, 84 Break Tackle and 84 Strength as a Green Gem 4*. Sadly I am currently #2 and don't have a open week to invite him to campus.. Miami is currently #1 and has him scheduled to be there in Week 15.. My only hope is he holds off long enough for me to beat the Canes in Week 14 maybe swaying him our direction..

Besides Riggins I currently have 6 other WR's among the 15 players. I don't plan on keeping scholarship offers on all 7. Right now it appears that I will probably have my Top-5 WR's all graduate or leave for the NFL leaving me just 3 WR's on the roster, but with Owens alreay signed I don't feel I need to add 8 to this year's class. I would however like to land maybe 5 allowing me to play a couple as True Freshman and redshirt the other 2-3.